


The Stone: Part 1

by americanhoney913



Series: Sun that Heats the Sky [2]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018), Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Based on Twitter Art, F/F, Gen, Not just Catra, Warrior Cats AU, everyone's a cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:14:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24603733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/americanhoney913/pseuds/americanhoney913
Summary: When Greypaw finds a shining stone and is marked as a magical cat of legend, she must decide between staying in the Horde with her best friend or joining the Clan on the other side of the Whispering Woods that's working towards peace against the Horde and all the other rogue cats living in the Carrionplace.Previously called "Sun that Heats the Sky"
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Series: Sun that Heats the Sky [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1906654
Comments: 3
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Horde
> 
> Leader  
> Redscar (Hordak)- a large grey tom with a purple tuft on his head and a purple tail and red eyes and scars all over his body
> 
> Deputy/Medicine Cat  
> Shadowheart (Shadow Weaver)- a sleek black she-cat with milky white eyes, one of which is scarred through, and a red mark on her forehead
> 
> Captains  
> Sharpclaw (Scorpia)- a russet she-cat with lighter red spots on her limbs and tail and unusually long claws  
> Snaggletooth (Grizzlor)- a golden tom with thick fur like a lion’s mane and a crooked tooth that pokes out of his mouth  
> Fisheye (Octavia)- a light blue-gray she-cat with one eye missing  
> Bluefur (Cobalt)- a tom with dark blue fluffy fur and scars on his body  
>   
> Cadets  
> Mousepaw (Kyle)- a small sorrel tom with a white stripe down his back  
> Thistlepaw (Lonnie)- a she-cat with cinnamon fur and dark stripes  
> Lizardpaw (Rogelio)- a light green tom with left front paw missing its fur, making it look like scales  
> Graypaw (Adora)- a fawn-colored she-cat with a cream underbelly and mud-colored fur that starts at the top of her head and ends at her tail, which is a darker brown that she also has on her back feet  
> Tigerpaw (Catra)- a she-cat with brown fur and a lighter brown underbelly, has reddish stripes on her legs and two on her back, has dark brown fur on her forehead and scruff the same color has her thick tail, has one blue eye and one yellow eye
> 
> NOTE; While the Horde has a structure, there are other cats living in the same area that are rouge.

Greypaw wrinkles her nose as she travels through the muck to the Pile, a big gathering of Twoleg trash to one side of the Horde’s territory. It’s where training usually happens, so she makes her way to where her fellow apprentices sit in a row in front of one of the cardboard boxes. She sits down next to a cinnamon-colored she-cat with a still-healing scar across her side. She leans over and whispers, “Psst. Anyone seen Tigerpaw?” Thistlepaw mumbles a negative response and Greypaw groans, pressing her chin to her chest. “Not again.”

Bluepelt, a tom with fluffy blue fur and half his tail missing, leaps on top of the cardboard perch. “At attention, cadets,” he snarls down at them and Greypaw watches as the cadet on the far end, Mousepaw, a small sorrel tom with a white stripe down his back, curls his tail around his front paws and leans down, trying to make himself smaller. Out of all the cadets, he’s the most fearful. Bluepelt has a cut on his lip that’s given him a permanent snarl. “Here's your scenario. You'll be passing through the treacherous Whispering Woods to reach the heart of BrightClan.” Mousepaw whimpers. “Today’s training is to fight your way to the top. To be the one to reach the leader of the clan and fight them. He first one to get to the top will get first kill. Those who don’t, will eat last.” _Or not at all_ is what he doesn’t say. He pauses and looks around with his one good eye. “Where's Tigerpaw?”

“She'll be here,” Greypaw says. “I promise.” Tigerpaw only does things on her own time, which is probably why most of the captains hate her.

The scarred tom makes a disgusted sound in the back of his throat, tail lashing from side to the side. “The Whispering Woods is full of clan cats. Vicious, violent instigators. They will take you out if given the chance. Don't give it to them. Good luck, recruits.”

He jumps to the top of the trash pile and sits there. They wait three lashes of his tail and begin.

* * *

Later, in the cadet corner of the Carrionplace, Greypaw licks at cuts on her shoulder. A tail flicks her nose and she huffs. Thistlepaw and Lizardpaw curl around Mousepaw in the corner, the latter covered in cuts and bruises. A punishment for being the first to be beaten off the pile. 

Tigerpaw’s laughing, her whiskers twitching in amusement, as she slides into Greypaw’s line of sight. “You should've seen your face,” she snorts. “You were like, “Aah, no! Betrayal.’” She dramatically drags her claws down one of the black bags and garbage begins spilling out. 

Greypaw yelps and dances to the side, abandoning her grooming. “Come on, Tigerpaw.” One ear flicks and she scowls at Tigerpaw. The other she-cat shakes out her mane of trash that fell from the bag. Greypaw shoves at her with a paw to the face. “I can’t believe you’re still pulling such childish, immature-- Is that a mouse?!” She points with a paw at another trash bag.

Tigerpaw’s spinefur, a darker brown than the rest of her pelt, and tail puff out. As it does in either excitement or fear. “What!? Where!?” She bounces towards the spot Greypaw pointed to, heterochromatic eyes wide in excitement. 

It goes flat when she sees nothing and Greypaw snorts, rolling onto her belly as she laughs. “Are you ever going to not fall for that, mouse-brain?”

Tigerpaw pounces on her and presses her dirty paws into Greypaw’s creamy bellyfur. “You’re such a pain in my tail,” she grumbles as she kneads the fur without claws. “Are you ever going to let it go? That was one time.”

Greypaw pushes up and bites at Tigerpaw’s ear, pulling gently on it as the smaller cadet tries to bat her away. “I know,” Greypaw says around Tigerpaw’s ear in her mouth, “but for some reason, it's always funny.”

A shadow looms over the entrance to the cadet’s area of the camp and the two look up. Tigerpaw scrambles off of Greypaw, her fur fluffing up and her eyes go wide. Greypaw stands in front of her, a paw out as if in preparation for anything that might happen.

“Greypaw.” It’s Shadowheart, with her night-black coat and her milky white eyes, one of which is scarred through but not missing like Fisheye's. She has a red circle on her forehead, her most defining feature.

Tigerpaw growls softly, guttural and low in her throat, but Greypaw’s tail across her back makes her stop, gentles her the slightest bit. “Shadowheart.” Greypaw nods in respect, as she’s been taught to do from the time she could walk.

“You have done well. You've completed your training course in record time.” Shadowheart’s voice is a purr, soft and smooth, almost hypnotic in a way that neither Greypaw nor Tigerpaw have ever been able to turn away from.

“Uh, well, that wasn't just me. You know, Tigerpaw did, too.” Greypaw nudges Tigerpaw’s shoulder with hers. Tigerpaw had shown up late to training but managed to take Bluepelt out from behind, knocking him down the Pile as Greypaw was fighting him.

Tigerpaw’s chest puffs out slightly, but her ears droop when Shadowheart speaks again. “How someone as unmotivated as you completed the course in that time, I'll never know.”

“Always serving up those pep talks, huh, Shadowheart?” Tigerpaw snarls, lips curling up to show off her sharp teeth. Her spine fur stands on end as she arches her back, her claws kneading into the hard stone.

“Silence!” Shadowheart shouts and she seems to get bigger, the space around Greypaw and Tigerpaw becoming darker and darker. As if overwhelmed by shadows. The red circle on her forehead seems to give off an eerie glow. “Do not be flippant with me, cadet.” 

Tigerpaw shrinks back behind Greypaw, her ears folding and her body becoming smaller, her tail curling on top of her front paws. “Sorry, Shadowheart,” she mumbles.

The shadows seem to recede into that circle as it dims and Tigerpaw shudders. “Greypaw, walk with me.” Shadowheart turns to leave the tiny cadet space. Her tails flicks Tigerpaw and she flinches away. Greypaw looks between her best friend and their mentor. Tigerpaw’s giving her a worried, almost pleading look. Greypaw allows her tail to trail against Tigerpaw’s shoulder and down to twine their tails for a moment before Shadowheart calls her again and she has to pad away after her.

* * *

Shadowheart leads Greypaw down another trash-made corridor to her own little section. There are some shiny stones and wilted leaves that pass for medicine in the Carrionplace. While there’s nothing to dam the entrance to Shadowheart’s space, it’s like the shadows themselves close in around her. “Redscar has been watching you. He thinks you are a fine candidate to become a captain.” A captain was a rare gift bestowed upon only the best of cadets in the Horde. Appointed by Redscar when he gathered those who wished to help change the status of those living in the Carrionplace versus those living in luxurious chaos of the Clans, ruled by evil leaders. 

“Really?” Greypaw’s fur fluffs up with pride. “Captain? Redscar said that about me?”

She receives a head tilt nod in response. “Oh, yes. He sees great promise in you.” She moves her tail under Greypaw’s chin and the younger she-cat shivers. “In fact,” Shadowheart purrs, “he has elected you the honor of leading a squadron onto BrightClan territory. There’s a stockpile of fresh kill just beyond the borders, only guarded by two weak apprentices.” She scoffs.

That sounds stupid. Why leave a fresh-kill pile so far from the main camp? That’s just begging for an attack. It doesn’t make sense to Greypaw. Fresh kill should be eaten as soon as possible so that one doesn’t starve during training. Only captains, Shadowheart, and Redscar get to eat the good food the cadets bring to them before they themselves get the scraps and anything they can scrounge up from the Twoleg trash. Which is probably why not many cadets survive because of the crowfood sickness. Greypaw knows Mousepaw’s only survived because Thistlepaw and Lizardpaw have stronger stomachs and give him the fresher food.

“You mean we're finally seeing active duty?” Greypaw asks, her tail thrashing in her excitement.

Shadowheart presses a paw to Greypaw’s chest. “ _You_ are seeing active duty.”

“But I'll be able to bring my team along, right?”

“Your team is not ready,” Shadowheart hisses. “They'll only slow you down.”

“Shadowheart, with respect,” Greypaw tilts her head down to try to convey that respect, “they've been training hard for this, too. And Tigerpaw, all she wants is to get out there and prove herself.”

“Then she should have worked harder to prove herself to me,” the older she-cat hisses again. “This is what I raised you for, Greypaw. Now is your chance to prove yourself. I saw talent in you the moment I found you as a lost kit and took you in.” Greypaw withers under her stare. Shadowheart’s forehead mark stands out against the shadows. Greypaw knows that Shadowheart constantly reminds her, and Tigerpaw, that she found them when they were just helpless kits and brought them in. Nursed them, seeing as there are no other queens in the Horde. Took care of them and taught them to be stronger through tough love. She never forgets to remind them. “Is this not what you've wanted since you were old enough to want anything?”

“Yes.”

“With you at the forefront, we will crush BrightClan and all those other clans, once and for all.” The shadows seem to shove Greypaw out of the area and she cranes her neck to see Shadowheart blend into them, that red circular spot on her forehead almost a beacon in the darkness. “Do not disappoint me.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BrightClan
> 
> Leader: Moonstar (Angella)- A tall, sleek she-cat with spotted lilac fur with a dark purple underbelly and pink backfur and tail, white star on chest and paws
> 
> Deputy: Cloudleap (Netossa)-a lean tortoiseshell with blue-grey and white patches with one cream-colored spot on her left eye (apprentice: Baypaw)
> 
> Medicine Cat: Windrunner (Spinerella)- a she-cat with lilac fur and one dark magenta streak across her right side
> 
> Warriors:
> 
> Mistydawn (Mermista)- sleek blue she-cat with golden stripes  
> Seablaze (Seahawk)- large russet tom with light blue streaks  
> Lightninghaze (Entrapta)- lithe lilac she-cat with a long feathery tail  
> Goldenleaf (Perfuma)- sleek, dappled, golden tabby she-cat with unusual light pink and green spots (apprentice: Frostpaw)  
> Gravelhawk (Huntara)- a large grey she-cat with two parallel claw scars against her back leg and white stripes (apprentice: Echopaw)  
> Glimmerpelt (Glimmer)- a fluffy pink she-cat with small white socks, a purple underbelly, and a light pink diamond on her chest
> 
> Apprentices:
> 
> Frostpaw (Frosta)- a small pure white she-cat with bright blue eyes  
> Baypaw (Bow)- a brown tom with a cream-colored underbelly and a band the same color on his front left paw, dark forehead and tail fur, most distinguished feature is a heart on his chest  
> Echopaw (DT)- a sandy cat with a thin tail and a green socks, no discernable gender
> 
> NOTE: a matriarchal Clan and the leaders are usually kin of the last leader. Moonstar brought the rouge cats on their side of Whispering Woods together to form the Clan, so there have been no previous leaders.

Moonstar paces around the leader’s den, her long tail lashing from side to side in agitation. A shadow crosses the entrance and the lichen, that grows down from the top of the quarry, parts to let her deputy peek her head inside. Cloudleap is a lean tortoiseshell with blue-grey and white patches with one cream colored spot on her left eye. One of her ears has a nick in it, one she got after a runin with the Horde living outside their borders.

“She’s back,” Cloudleap tells her.

“Send her in,” Moonstar says, sounding exhausted. Cloudleap nods her head in deference before she uses her nose to push a smaller she-cat into the shade of the den. “Cloudleap,” the deputy pauses, “can you send Goldenleaf and Frostpaw on patrol? And get two others to bring back the fresh-kill from the border.” Cloudleap nods and flicks her tail, leaving the two remaining cats in the shade.

Glimmerpelt tilts her head down, her ears flat against her skull, already fluffy pink fur fluffed up just a bit more. She doesn’t say anything, but Moonstar can see her claws kneading into the sandy floor.

“I'm told you disobeyed orders and tried to go beyond the borders, Glimmerpelt,” Moonstar says as she puts her paw down forcefully, kicking up a small cloud of sand. “You led an apprentice, who was supposed to be guarding the fresh-kill pile, into a dangerous situation, even though you know the rules.”

“We were trying to protect our fresh-kill pile from falling into the Horde's grasp,” Glimmerpelt hisses in return. “And chase them away.”

“You were reckless and put yourself and Baypaw in danger. The boundaries are there for a reason!”

“Fighting is supposed to be dangerous!” She curls her tail around her front paws and Moonstar knows she’s trying not to lash her tail. Glimmerpelt’s ears fold back against her skull and she scoffs. “How are we going to hold our own against the Horde if we keep retreating?” She makes a scratch in the floor. Moonstar rolls her eyes. The younger she-cat’s never been one to hold her emotions in check. “We used to have the whole Whispering Woods and the forest beyond the western stream. Pretty soon, we won't have anything left to defend.”

“I'm growing tired of your back-talking, Glimmerpelt.” She puts a paw next to the scratches and the warrior freezes. “I am your _leader_ and we have boundaries for a reason.”

“Why did you even make me a warrior if you won't let me fight?”

“Being a warrior is not about fighting!” Moonstar raises herself to her full height, fluffing out her fur and Glimmerpelt shrinks back a little. “Being a warrior is about taking care of your clanmates. It’s about being safe.” Moonstar shakes her head, curls her tail over her front paws. “I have no choice but to punish you. You’re on entrance duty until further notice.”

“But, Mom,” Glimmerpelt whines, ears twitching, tail lashing in agitation.

“You heard me.”

“You never let me do anything.”

Moonstar sighs. “The Whispering Woods are extremely dangerous.” Her voice softens and she sweeps her tail across Glimmerpelt’s backfur. “I lost your father to those woods. I won’t lose you to them too.”

Glimmerpelt’s ears unfold and she moves to lick her mother’s shoulder, pressing their fur together. Moonstar licks her forehead in response, purring. “I can’t lose another…” Moonstar pulls away and glares down. “But you’re still camp-bound until I decide you’re responsible enough to go out on patrols again”

Glimmerpelt tail lashes. “That’s not fair!” Moonstar knows that their mother-daughter moment is over when Glimmerpelt’s fur fluffs up and she storms out of the den and back down to camp. Moonstar knows being a leader and a mother will never be easy, but it used to be easier when her daughter was just an apprentice and not her own warrior. 

* * *

There’s only one way in and out of camp and Glimmerpelt’s stuck sitting here. She watches as others exit and enter the camp, giving her nods like they don’t know exactly what’s going on. Goldenleaf slips out, lithe and thin, while Frostpaw follows her, still rounded a little with kit-fat. The small apprentice sticks her tongue out at Glimmerpelt and fluffs out her tail, swaggering away. The older she-cat rolls her eyes.

It’s so unfair. She did the right thing. She and Baypaw were safe. The Horde patrol wasn’t as big as their leader… as her mom thought. Only two fighters, and Glimmerpelt could almost every rib. They didn’t eat well in the Horde and that’s why they’d been trying to steal the kill-pile BrightClan kept so that they could collect and bring back more fresh-kill during a hunt.

Glimmerpelt paces next to the thorn tunnel and thought of what she wanted to say to her mother if she ever got the courage. _‘Dear Mom. I know I’ll probably never say this, but I feel like you… don’t respect me.’_ She cries out as she knocks into something. “Ow.” She rubs her nose with a paw and scowls, looking up to find Baypaw smiling at her, his tail tapping against the floor.

“Hey, Glimmerpelt!”

“Baypaw, what are you doing here?” She puts her tail to his muzzle. “I thought you were going on patrol with Cloudleap.”

“I was. Eastern border. But I, uh, snuck off.” He shrugs. "You okay?"

“I’m just so mad at my mom.” Glimmerpelt’s fluffy tail lashes from side to side, wacking against the rocks next to the entrance to the quarry.

“Was it about going after that Horde hunting party?”

“She knew that sending me to the western border would put me near where the Horde likes to sneak in. I was just trying to defend the fresh-kill pile. This was my first task as a warrior and I wanted to prove that I could do it.” Her tail lashes from side to side and she curls her lip up in a sneer. “She acts like I can’t do anything just because I was just made a warrior.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. She let Seablaze go out by himself, even though he’s as useful as a kittypet.” She digs her claws into the dirt. The tom does tend to get into trouble, especially while trying to impress Mistydawn, another warrior who’s about six moons older than Glimmerpelt. 

“Tell that to my mom.”

“I mean, your mom might have a point. Only reason we got out of there is because Gravelhawk and Lightningpaw were on patrol at the south western border. If they didn’t join us, we might not be here. And the fresh-kill pile wouldn’t be either.”

“Looking for a little support here, Baypaw!”

Baypaw shrugs. “I'm just saying, if you wanna prove yourself, it's gonna take more than running recklessly after every Horde cat you see.” His ears flick as if he’s listening to something before he leans in, pressing close to the she-cat. “Luckily, I've got just the thing. Listen to this. While I was out with Cloudleap, I thought I saw this weird Twoleg thing in that clearing next to the river. I don’t know if a Twoleg just dropped something shiny, but it felt like something else.” His whiskers twitch. “ If you find it and bring it back, your mom is bound to be impressed.”

“Did you forget I'm stuck here?” She kicks out with her paw at the thorny entrance to their camp. The branches shudder and Baypaw backs up until he’s hidden in the nearby brambles. He squeezes himself smaller and puts his tail over his mouth.

Moonstar slips out of the entrance and pads over until she’s next to Glimmerpelt. “How goes it?”

Glimmerpelt sighs and hunches her shoulders, ears against her skull. “Boring. As usual, nothing’s happening.”

“Was there someone else here?” Moonstar looks around and Glimmerpelt tries not to look in Baypaw’s direction. The leader’s ears flick for a moment and she sniffs the air before she shakes her head and turns back to the younger she-cat.

“No one else is here. Everyone’s either in camp or on patrol. Now can you please leave me to suffer in peace?”

“I don't appreciate your tone right now, young warrior.” Moonstar’s tail lashes from side to side.

“What tone?” Glimmerpelt retorts.

“That attitude of yours is never gonna help you know.”

“Mom, you always tell me what to do--”

“You cannot act that way!" Moonstar stomps back into camp, her tail flicking against Glimmerpelt’s shoulder as she goes. 

“--And that's not fair!” she shouts after her mother’s retreating back. She might be the leader, but her mom is really being unfair. She and Baypaw were just protecting their kill and their borders from the evil Horde’s warriors. As soon as Moonstar’s back inside the camp, the brambles rustle and the tom emerges. He looks from the camp entrance to the she-cat, his tail swishing in excitement.

“I'm in.”

Baypaw yelps quietly in excitement and the two of them lope away from camp before anyone can tell that they’re gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to @artofkace (Twitter/Tumblr) for letting me jump off of their designs and use it to inspire this fic. You can find that particular piece here: https://twitter.com/artofkace/status/1269044269186191365


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Horde
> 
> Leader  
> Redscar (Hordak)- a large grey tom with a purple tuft on his head and a purple tail and red eyes and scars all over his body
> 
> Deputy/Medicine Cat  
> Shadowheart (Shadow Weaver)- a sleek black she-cat with milky white eyes, one of which is scarred through, and a red mark on her forehead
> 
> Captains  
> Sharpclaw (Scorpia)- a russet she-cat with lighter red spots on her limbs and tail and unusually long claws  
> Snaggletooth (Grizzlor)- a golden tom with thick fur like a lion’s mane and a crooked tooth that pokes out of his mouth  
> Fisheye (Octavia)- a light blue-gray she-cat with one eye missing  
> Bluefur (Cobalt)- a tom with dark blue fluffy fur and scars on his body  
>   
> Cadets  
> Mousepaw (Kyle)- a small sorrel tom with a white stripe down his back  
> Thistlepaw (Lonnie)- a she-cat with cinnamon fur and dark stripes  
> Lizardpaw (Rogelio)- a light green tom with left front paw missing its fur, making it look like scales  
> Graypaw (Adora)- a fawn-colored she-cat with a cream underbelly and mud-colored fur that starts at the top of her head and ends at her tail, which is a darker brown that she also has on her back feet  
> Tigerpaw (Catra)- a she-cat with brown fur and a lighter brown underbelly, has reddish stripes on her legs and two on her back, has dark brown fur on her forehead and scruff the same color has her thick tail, has one blue eye and one yellow eye

Greypaw snags a piece of fresh-kill from the meager pile near Redscar’s lair. A rat larger than she’s ever seen in her life. It’s dead and festering, but its still got meat on the bones. There’s not a lot left because she’s the newest captain according to the Horde laws, but it’s better than eating the scraps and the trash that the cadets get.

The only warning she gets is the crinkle of trash bags before she’s pushed to the ground and Tigerpaw knocks the rat into a puddle in her excitement.”What’d she say?” Greypaw grunts and pushes to her feet as Tigerpaw’s blue and yellow eyes zero in on the rat. “Hey, what’s that?” She bats it out if the water and Greypaw tries to grab for it, but Tigerpaw holds it with her sharp claws, one ear flicking.

“Hey, give it back!”

“No way.” Tigerpaw smooths a paw down the matted fur of the crowfood’s back. “You've been promoted?”

Greypaw shrugs. “Well, kind of. I mean, yeah, I guess." Greypaw shuffles her front paws awkwardly. "But it's not a big deal.”

“Are you kidding?” Tigerpaw almost squeaks in excitement. “That is awesome. We're gonna finally be able to go to the Whispering Woods.” She fluffs up in excitement, purring like a Monster. “We’ll finally get to fight.”

“Umm…”

“What?”

Greypaw’s ears fold down and her tail droops. “Shadowheart says you're not coming.”

“What?” Tigerpaw’s voice cracks, her spine fur fluffing up. “I was the one who landed the blow that knocked Bluefur off of the Pile. What is her problem with me?”

“I mean, you are kind of disrespectful,” Greypaw responds, whiskers twitching.

“Why should I respect her?” Tigerpaw snarls, tail lashing from side to side, claws digging into the crowfood. “She's just bitter that she doesn't have any real power that doesn't come from Redscar and everyone knows it.” She wacks her tail against Greypaw’s forehead. “I guess it sure must be easy being her favorite.”

“I am not--” Tigerpaw puts her tail over Greypaw’s mouth before she grabs the crowfood in her mouth and walks away. She’s heading towards the edge of camp, where the garbage is less and they can just see the Whispering Woods past the Thunderpath that the apprentices are allowed to hunt on. “Tigerpaw, wait.”

She bounds after the cadet, catching up to her as she sits next to the Thunderpath. Tigerpaw’s already used her claw to cut the mangy rat in half. She won’t look at Greypaw, but she puts her own tail next to Greypaw’s as she settles in front of the smaller piece.

“Look,” Greypaw says softly as she watches Tigerpaw scarf down the food. “I'm sorry. I didn't even think you wanted to be a captain.”

“I don't,” she replies around a mouthful of fur and maggots, ears still flat.

“Come on, Tigerpaw.” Greypaw knocks her shoulder against Tigerpaw’s. “This is what I have been working for my entire life. I was hoping you could be, I don't know, happy for me.”

“Ugh, whatever,” Tigerpaw groans as she rolls her eyes and flicks her ear..” It's not like I even care. I just wanna get out of this dump at some point before I die of boredom.” She points her nose at the other side of the Thunderpath. “I wonder what's even outside Horde territory anyway.”

Greypaw scarfs down her half of the rat, grimacing against the squirming maggots before she pushes the tail away. She gestures with her tail. “Why don't we go find out?”

* * *

“I take it all back,” Tigerpaw shouts over the rustling of the leaves. “You're officially awesome. I can't believe we’re actually doing this.” 

“Please don't make me regret it.”

The woods on the other side of the Thunderpath smell different. It’s not filled with the stench of trash and everything feels lighter. The slight breeze ruffles her fur and Tigerpaw’s dark brown tail flicks ahead of her as she weaves in and out of the brush. Greypaw jumps on top of a rotting log and sits down. She watches Tigerpaw sniff at everything she can find. The smell of prey hovers in the air, but Greypaw’s more worried about Tigerpaw running off.

“Tigerpaw, don’t go too far,” Greypaw warns. “We might not be able to find our way back.” She sniffs the air. “And it smells like rain, so we won’t be able to follow our scent.” She can almost feel the electricity rippling around them.

“Aw, don’t be such a scaredy-mouse,” Tigerpaw grumbles as she digs her claws into the rotted wood to sit next to Greypaw. “That’s a problem for future Greypaw and Tigerpaw.” She tugs at Greypaw’s swinging tail gently with her teeth before jumping down. “Come on.” She bounds off, further into the forest. Greypaw can do nothing but follow.

* * *

The forest line ends at a softly babbling brook and then continues on beyond the far bank. But it looks different. Vines hang off the trees and there’s low hanging purple fruit. Even the flowers and brush Greypaw can see looks different. “What is it?” Greypaw asks as she shuffles from one paw to the other.

“I think this must be the Whispering Woods. They say there are strange, old monsters in there, an-and the trees move when you're not looking.” Tigerpaw shakes out her coat and brushes her tail down Greypaw’s spine fur. “Every soldier that’s been sent in there has never come out again.”

Greypaw paces along the bank of the brook for a moment her tail straightens in excitement, the tip twitching. “Let’s go in!” she shouts as she bounds into the water. She splashes across the stream without a second thought. The water feels cool against her paws and it's fairly warm, but not the stinking sweltering heat of Horde territory.

“Wait, what?” Tigerpaw yowls. “Greypaw!” She walks back and forth, tail flashing in agitation. “Come on, Greypaw, get out of the water.” Greypaw knows she hates the water, avoids every puddle in Horde territory, but Greypaw doesn’t mind it.

“Don’t be such a drypaw!” Greypaw calls back from the middle of the stream. “It’s not even that deep.” The deepest part of the water barely brushes her creamy bellyfur and she shakes out as she makes it to the other side.

Tigerpaw’s ears fold down and she keeps lashing her tail. Usually it's the other way around. Greypaw being the cautious one and Tigerpaw being the overexcited adventurer. There’s just… there’s something beyond the trees that’s pulling Greypaw further into the forest.

“Fine.” Tigerpaw finally steps into the water, yeping with each step as she splashes across the river, loud enough to scare any nearby prey. “But only because you’d probably get lost without me.”

Greypaw flicks her tail against Tigerpaw’s shoulder and rolls her eyes. Tigerpaw brushes their pelts together and gives a small purr as she butts her head under Greypaw’s, curing her dark tail against the sandy fur on Greypaw’s leg.

“Come on,” Tigerpaw says once she’s properly cuddled into Greypaw enough. “Let’s go explore before it gets too dark.” Her tail swishes as she runs off into the woods, Greypaw following at a clipped pace.

* * *

Greypaw loses Tigerpaw somewhere between the stream and a clearing. She can hear the smaller she-cat moving around in the bushes about a tree-length in some direction. It’s hard to pinpoint her in the forest because there’s a humming, whispering rustling of the trees that gives the woods its name.

She’s got one paw in the clearing, ears erect and listening, but she freezes when something shines in a pool of sunlight. There, on top of a stone, is a weird blue stone. It doesn’t look like any of the shiny things in Horde territory. It’s giving off some kind of warmth and Greypaw takes tentative steps closer. It feels like every hair on her body, her gut, is being pulled in the direction of that stone.

“Whoa,” she breathes, “cool.”

Greypaw jumps up onto the rock and touches the stone. All of a sudden, the whole world spins and she finds herself in a star-filled sky. She sees flashes of a glowing white stone, and hears a smooth voice say, “Balance must be restored.” Another flash and then there’s the moon. “StarClan must seek a hero.” Greypaw watches as whatever vision she’s having zooms in on a large cat, with fur that looks like it’s made out of sunbeams, sitting on the edge of a cliff. Greypaw gasps and tries to step back without a physical form as the cat turns to her with bright crystal blue eyes. The sound of a kit’s cry echoes in her ears along with her name. Over and over again. First it’s the strange she-cat’s voice, and then, as her eyes flutter open, it’s Tigerpaw.

“ Hey, Greypaw?” Tigerpaw’s shaking her, rocking her back and forth. “Greypaw!”

“Tigerpaw, what happened?” Greypaw rubs her paw against her eye, ears flicking back and forth.

“You weren’t behind me,” Tigerpaw says, “because you were such a slowpoke. So I had to come back and get you.”

“No, you were going to fast,” Greypaw argued.

Tigerpaw flicks her tail and twitches her whiskers. “Ah, up for debate. Come on, let's go.” She gestures with her tail in the direction of Horde territory. Tigerpaw hops down from the rock and reaches the edge of the clearing before Greypaw even looks up.

“Wait. Where is it?” Her paw sits in a small, stone-shaped divot, but there’s nothing there. She lashes her tail in agitation. “Where'd it go?”

“What?”

“Ther-There was a weird blue stone. It was right here. I tried to touch it, but it got really bright.”

“Are you brain-damaged? Don't be brain damaged.” Tigerpaw took Greypaw’s head between her paws, making her move her head from side to side. “Oh, Shadowheart's gonna kill me.”

“I'm not brain-damaged,” Greypaw hisses as she pushes the other she-cat away. “It was here, I saw it.”

“Well, there's nothing here now.” Tigerpaw’s tail flicks as she beckons the other she-cat with it. “So, come on, let's go.”

* * *

Greypaw kicks out with a paw as she snuggles closer to Tigerpaw. Their bodies curl together near the entrance to the cadet den. Greypaw started out in the captain’s den, but it didn’t feel right. She grew up sleeping next to Tigerpaw, their fur pressed together and tails twined, the smaller she-cat’s purring breath and the rise and fall of her breath soothing Greypaw to sleep every night.

However, she whines and kicks out, digging her claws into the thin layer of dirt. There’s that voice in her head again, calling her her name. It’s the same voice but all she can see is that weird stone in the clearing. Greypaw tries to roll over, but she knocks her nose into Tigerpaw’s fur. She spits out the part of the other cat’s mane that had gotten into her mouth and flicks her tail. She shakes her head as she gets to her feet. She rubs at her eyes and tries to blink away the sleep.

Claws snag her tail and she yelps as she turns around. In the dim light of the den, she sees Tigerpaw giving her a confused look. “Hey,” the smaller she-cat hisses, “where are you going?”

Greypaw waves her tail out of Tigerpaw’s grasp and shakes her head. “Back to the woods,” she whispers. “There’s something I need to figure out.”

She lopes out of the room and flicks her ear when she hears Tigerpaw behind her. “What? You’re not--” Greypaw presses her side to Tigerpaw’s until they’re both pressed against a rough pile of trash. Sharpclaw walks by on what Greypaw can only guess is the changing of the guards. She knows she’ll eventually have to take her turn as a guard once she gets her new name. The russet she-cat hums to herself as she walks along, swishing her tail. Tigerpaw scoffs and shakes her head, pushing against Greypaw with her paw once the captain’s cleared the turn. “What is wrong with you?” Tigerpaw hisses, ears pressed against her skull. “You’ve been acting weird ever since we got back.” She takes Greypaw’s head between her paws, moving it from side to side like she did in the forest. “Are you sure you're not brain-damaged?”

“Look, Tigerpaw,” Greypaw pushes the smaller she-cat’s paws away, making her fall back onto all four paws. “I know I saw something out there. It's ju- I just need to get another look.” She lets out a deep breath. “It feels important somehow.”

“Sounds good. Let's go.” Tigerpaw leaps in front and begins to lead, her dark brown tail high in the air.

“No,” Greypaw mumbles as she gently bites and pulls on Tigerpaw’s tail. The smaller she-cat yelps and sits back on her ear, glaring at Greypaw. “I don't want you getting in trouble on my behalf. Just cover for me okay?” Greypaw bounds towards the exit of the camp, her tail lashing.”I'll be back before anyone knows I'm gone.”

“Greypaw!” Tigerpaw hisses. “Greypaw!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, so we finally get to see a small glimpse of She-Ra in her cat form. Next time we get the big confrontation between Glimmer, Bow, and Adora in cat form.
> 
> Please let me know what you guys think!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's been a while. I've been slowly working on this chapter. I do have to figure out how to turn everything into clan/cats/warriors instead of human stuff. Hopefully, it still makes sense.
> 
> TW: description of animal violence (same level as in the Warriors books) 
> 
> New cat: 
> 
> Light Hope- Hope that Lights the Heart (Hope) [Mara's mentor]- a purple she-cat with broad shoulders, horizontal white stripes along her sides, a long tail, and extremely bright blue eyes

“Come on!” Baypaw shouts as he thunders through the underbrush towards the edge of their territory. “Come on!”

Glimmerpelt groans. “Please tell me we're not lost,” she grumbles, tail lashing. They might know every square inch of _their_ territory, but Baypaw didn’t have the best sense of direction. And they're not in their territory.

“No,” the tom said as he leans down to sniff the ground. “I swear we’re getting close. The Twoleg thing smelled really weird.”

“Uhh... I think it's that way.” Glimmerpaw points her feathery tail at something in the direction of the clearing where apprentices are usually trained in combat.

“What makes you say that?” A bright light emanates from where she’s pointing. “Oh, yeah,” his voice cracks with excitement, fur fluffed, “that'll do it.”

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, Greypaw wades out of the brook, her bellyfur dragging along the sandy bottom. She shakes herself off and makes her way towards, well, something. She doesn’t know what she feels, but there’s something under her fur pulling her forward. Like her paws have a mind of their own.

The forest feels different in the dark. There are all kinds of sounds… as if the forest is full of life. It’s different from the Twoleg machines that work both night and day, never stopping as they eat the Twoleg trash that makes up Horde territory. There’s the sound of owls hooting above, and insects that aren’t cockroaches, buzzing while they’re hard at work, and there are no rats skittering around in search of their next meal. There’s also the smell, Greypaw thinks as she inhales. It’s fresher here, like it’s easier to breathe.

“What are you doing out here, Greypaw?” she hisses to herself under her breath. “Tigerpaw's right... this is crazy.” Her tail lashes in agitation. “There's no magic stone. You just got hit on the head a little too hard. You should just go back home and forget about all of this.” She turns to head back towards the brook, towards home, but there’s something in her chest telling her to go forward instead of back. And she has no choice but to obey as the glow beyond gets brighter and brighter, as if responding to her presence.

On the other side of the clearing, Glimmerpelt and Baypaw draw closer to where the light glows. “Baypaw, just let me lead the way, okay?” Glimmerpelt says as she pushes past bits of bramble. 

“The light came from the training hollow.”

“Yes,” Glimmerpelt says as she rolls her eyes, flicking her tail against Baypaw’s nose. “We can both clearly see the light from--” She cuts off as she sees a shadow step into the clearing, which is awash in a mix of waning moonlight and the shine of the bright blue crystalline stone.

Greypaw steps into the clearing, the pull of the stone too strong to withstand. She doesn’t notice the others in the clearing at first, until there’s a noise and she looks up from where she’d been fixed on the stone.

“Horde soldier!” a cat yowls and charges at her. 

“I see her!” a second cat shouts back. 

Greypaw finds herself in a two-on-one fight. The smaller of the two, a brown tom, uses a standard leap-and-hold technique, digging his claws into her back, while the other cat, a purple she-cat, tries to strike at her face with claws unsheathed. Greypaw snarls and lashes her tail as she strikes back, catching the she-cat with her own claws, making her retreat. While the other cat’s getting her bearings, she rolls over, squishing the smaller tom under her.

This fighting goes back and forth and it’s hard for Greypaw to keep up. She’s one-on-one with the she-cat when she realizes that the tom’s nowhere to be seen. She holds down the purple cat with unsheathed claws against her throat, gagging her, until she hears a voice that’s coming from over them.

“Glimmerpelt, catch!”

While she’s distracted, the she-cat, Glimmerpelt, wiggles out from under her and catches the stone in her mouth. It’s large, but she’s got it and begins to run back towards the edge of the clearing. In the opposite direction of Horde territory.

“Give me that stone,” Greypaw snarls as she races to stand her ground in front of Glimmerpelt. Her fur is fluffed to the max, teeth flashing in a snarl, tail lashing. She’s a little bigger than the other she-cat and she’s had the training against all sizes of opponents.

Greypaw can feel some of the scratches left by these two enemies begin to weep, but she can’t give up. Something about that stone screams at her, telling her that it belongs to her, not these strange cats.

Glimmerpelt, still with the stone in her mouth, begins to attack Greypaw again. The tom tries to slip under her, but she uses technical maneuvers to get out of the way of a full or half-turn belly rake. These soldiers must not get much training or they don’t know how to work together, because the purple-pink she-cat trips over the tom, and they both fall, giving Greypaw the opening to grab the stone gently between her teeth and wiggle away. She charges towards the path leading back to Horde territory.

She yowls as teeth dig into her tail and yank until she collapses. She rolls over, putting her body on top of the stone, and kicks up at her attacker. “Get off.” Her sheathed back claws collide with a soft underbelly and she uses all of her strength to get whoever’s on top of her, off. “Stand down. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Glimmerpelt’s ears flatten against her skull as her tail lashes. She’s got a few wounds of her own. “Since when do Horde soldiers not want to hurt anyone?”

The situation devolves into fighting once again. The three of them are a tangle of claws and fangs and movement. One moment, Greypaw’s got her teeth set into the tom’s scruff, shaking him from side to side to stun him, the next she’s standing amongst Silverpelt, on a cloud, with nothing around her except stars.

“What?” Greypaw squints.

There’s so much light around her, blinding. A shadow emerges from within Silverpelt. A tall, lithe purple she-cat purple with broad shoulders, and horizontal white stripes along her sides. Her long tail swishes from side to side, whiskers twitching. She’s larger than any cat Greypaw’s ever seen, more muscular too, and her eyes look as blue as the stone Greypaw found in the woods.

“Hello, Greypaw,” the she-cat says in a soft, melodic voice.

“Who are you?” Greypaw snarls, hisses, back fur fluffed. “What's going on?”

“My name is Hope that Lights the Heart, but you may call me Hope. I have been waiting a long time for you, but I could not reach you until you forged your connection with the stone.”

Greypaw’s eyes narrow. “ _ You _ sent the stone?”

“The stone is meant for you.” Hope pads closer and puts a paw on Greypaw’s shoulder and it burns. She looks down to see what looks like a wing mark on her fur, a lighter cream than the sandy fur around it. It hadn’t been there before, but Hope continues talking as she turns to look at Silverpath. “We have need of you, Greypaw. Will you answer its call? Will you fight for the honor of StarClan?”

“What are you talking about?” Greypaw stumbles back. “What-- What is--” Her ears flatten against her skull. “What's StarClan?” She shakes her head. “You're not making any sense! I don't understand!”

“You will,” Hope says in that melodic voice as whatever Greypaw’s seeing begins to fade. Everything seems to get hazy and Greypaw tries to keep herself stable as Hope walks away from her, back into the bright light.

“Wait!” she calls out before everything goes black.

* * *

Greypaw grunts and pushes off the ground on shaky legs. She wobbles for a moment before she falls back to the ground, her paws splayed. A shadow hovers over her, but soon takes the shape of the small tom she was fighting.

“Hey! She's awake,” he says, a little squeak in his voice.

“What happened?” Greypaw asks as she rubs her paw against her head, grumbling as she finds a lump near her right ear. She stands up again and shakes out her fur. 

She takes a step in the direction she dropped the stone in, only to blink when the fluffy pink she-cat slides in front of her. Glimmerpelt hisses, ears pinned as her tail lashes. “Horde spy, I ask the questions.” She taps her claw against Greypaw’s chest. “How did you make it this far into the Whispering Woods?”

“I just walked in.” Greypaw shrugs, flicking one ear. “And I'm  _ not  _ a spy.”

Glimmerpelt rolls her eyes. “Sure, sure. You just so happened to find yourself in the Whispering Woods,” she gestures around them with her tail, “like you just so happened to try and steal our stone.” Glimmerpelt taps something around her neck. Greypaw’s eyes narrow as she notices a golden Twoleg chain around the other she-cat’s neck, with the stone hanging in the middle. It looks like some of the weird ornaments found in Horde territory that Twolegs just throw away. Shadowheart has a strange black crystal in her den and would hiss whenever anyone came near it. Now Glimmerpelt’s wearing a stone that the strange cat said was hers.

“It's not yours,” she hissed at the purple cat, “I found it first.”

She takes a swipe, claws extended, at Glimmerpelt, but wobbles. Her head’s still throbbing and she rubs at it again. “The Whispering Woods is under MoonClan’s protection,” the fluffy cat snarls. “You were lucky to make it as far as you did.” She turns and flicks her tail. “Come on, Baypaw. Let's get this spy back to camp where she can be interrogated properly. “This is perfect. Not only do we have this strange Twoleg object for our clan, but we’ve also captured a Horde spy. Mom...” she coughs, “I mean, our leader is gonna be so impressed.” She pushes her shoulder against Greypaw’s, making her move. The tom leads the way, the end of his tail flicking. “Now come on.”

* * *

They pass through the river twice and go around the same deathberry bush at least three times before Greypaw stops and plops down next to some bramble bushes. She shakes out her fur and glares at Glimmerpelt.

“You positive we're going the right way, Glimmerpelt?” the tom asks.

“I know what I'm doing, Baypaw,” the fluffy she-cat grumbles. “Can you please just trust me?”

Baypaw, flicking his ear, rolls his eyes. “You know I always trust you, but I'm starting to get a little freaked out.” He flicks his tail against her shoulder. “I mean, I pretty much grew up in these woods and I've never even seen this part of them.” He shakes out his fur and wrinkles his nose. “I've heard stories about weird stuff out here.”

“It's fine, okay?” She circles the small clearing, in what looks like agitation to Greypaw. “Just let me figure this out.”

“Okay! Touchy.” Baypaw goes to sit next to Greypaw. He gives her a little smile and shakes his head. “Sorry about her. Usually, she's really nice.” Greypaw says nothing. She just has to wait a little longer, bide her time, before she can get the weird stone from the bossy she-cat and get back to Tigerpaw and Horde territory. “Not much for talking, huh?”

“I prefer not to swap pleasantries with my captors,” she hisses, ears pinned back.

Baypaw shrugs, tail flicking up a bit of dust. “Fair.” He licks his paw and rubs it over his ear. “Suit yourself.”

“How can you follow someone like her? The clan cats are dangerous. They’ve destroyed almost all the other groups in the area? They’re dangerous and will kill in a heartbeat.”

“Is that what Redscar told you?” Baypaw asks as he tilts his head to the side.

“Well,” she shrugs, “I thought it was just common knowledge. They're violent and don’t even care who they hurt. He also said they have magic powers.” 

The two of them look up as Glimmerpelt puts her front paws up on a tree to try and see over the bushes. She scratches deep gouges into the bark, tail lashing back and forth. “You've never actually met a clan cat, have you?” Baypaw asks as Glimmerpelt moves forward. They follow her through the brambles and Greypaw bites back a hiss as a throne scratches into her fur. 

Greypaw huffs as they finally get through the brush. “Well, maybe not in person, but…”

Their conversation ends when Glimmerpelt whimpers. Her ears fold down and her tail droops. Baypaw leaves Greypaw to nudge his nose against the fluffy she-cat’s shoulder. 

“What happened to this place?” Greypaw asks as she steps forward.

In front of her is complete carnage. It looks like a camp, but not one she’s seen before. And certainly not like the one she lives in with the Horde. There’s still a tang of blood in the air, even though it looks old. There’s bloody pawprints on the ground and some streaks along the stones making up the protective outside. Her nose wrinkles at the smell of rotting carcasses. There are three deep gouges crossing on the side of the rock, the same thing that marks the beginning of the Horde’s camp.

“Don't play dumb with me,” Glimmerpelt hisses, flashing sharp teeth at her. “I bet you were part of the raiding party that did this.” Her tail kicks up dust as she spins in a circle, fur fluffed. 

“What are you talking about?” Greypaw backs up with every step the other she-cat takes towards her. “The Horde didn't do this.” She trips over something and stumbles back on her haunches. 

“Oh yeah? You're a heartless destroyer, just like all the rest of your clan.”

“I'm not a destroyer,” Greypaw argues. “Redscar says we're doing what's best for everyone. We're trying to make things better. More orderly.”

“This is what's best for everyone?” She gestures to whatever Greypaw tripped over. “Ever since The Horde formed across the river, they've been stealing our food, destroying other clans, not caring about who they hurt. And you're a part of it!” Greypaw finally looks down and swallows bile. “How's that for orderly?”

Greypaw stumbles back. There, on the ground, splayed out, is a grey cat, coat stained with red. There are claw marks along its side and it’s hard to make out some of the features because it’s starting to decay. The blood’s clotting against a gash along its throat and Greypaw knows that’s the killing blow. “This doesn't make any sense.” She blinks, looking between Baypaw and Glimmerpelt, shaking her head. “The Horde would never do something like this.”

Baypaw tilts his head. “Did you really not know any of this? I mean, your army is called the Evil Horde.”

“Who calls us that?”

“Everybody!” Baypaw says, his eyes wide in surprise.

“The Horde rescued me when I was a kit and gave me a home.” She can feel her body shake as her whole world seems to change. “They're my family. You-- you don't know them like I do.”

“Maybe you don't know them like you think you do,” Baypaw points out. He walks over and his tail brushes her shoulder and over her spine in a comforting manner. Greypaw turns away from him but doesn’t move. She closes her eyes and tries not to think of vacant, glassy eyes staring at nothing. Thinking that someone she knows… someone in her clan doing that. It kills her inside.

Something in the distance roars. 

Glimmerpelt slides down the side of the camp, dust kicking up as she runs over to them. “There's something out there!” Her fur fluffs up. “Something big.”

“How big?”

The ground rumbles and then there’s a black and white streak barreling through the bramble, breaking branches like they’re nothing.

“So, pretty big then,” Baypaw mumbles as he backs up, pushing Greypaw with his body.

The badger roars, flashing razor-sharp teeth, jowls dripping with saliva.

“Watch out!” the tom shouts as he knocks Greypaw to the side, the two of them barely dodging the badger’s paw.

Greypaw watches as Glimmerpelt seems to disappear and reappear in different places to attack. She’s on one side of the badger, then the other, then back again. Greypaw can hardly keep up. Suddenly, something flashes on the ground and Greypaw realizes that the magic stone fell off and rolled to the other side of the camp.

Glimmerpelt yelps and Greypaw looks away from the stone to see the other she-cat pull away and limp until her back is to the stone wall. There’s a cut on her side, not deep but it still looks painful. Baypaw yowls and jumps down on the badger’s back, digging his claws in. He’s smaller, so the badger’s not able to reach with its claws. Greypaw slips around to where the stone has rolled near the opening the badger left in the bramble wall. She could escape with the stone right now, go back to Tigerpaw and the Horde. She picks the stone up in her teeth and turns to look back at the two clan cats fighting the badger. Glimmerpelt’s limping from another cut on her back leg, but she’s still attacking. Baypaw’s back on the ground, a smaller cut weeping across his nose, but he’s snarling and his fur’s all fluffed up, tail lashing.

She can’t leave them behind. The Horde’s mark screams at her from the wall next to where the fighting’s going on. She can’t… She drops the stone and bats at it. “Come on, Magic Stone.” She hisses at it. “Oh, where's a blinding flash of light when you need one?” She bats at it one more time and yowls when there’s a flash of light.

“ _ Greypaw. _ ” She blinks through the brightness to see Hope staring at her with those bright blue eyes. “ _ Greypaw. Greypaw. _ ” A kit mewls and cries somewhere in the distance. “ _ Will you fight for the honor of StarClan? _ ”

The voice echoes around her. It’s still Hope saying it, but it sounds like, on top of her voice, a thousand others take up the call. A chorus of ghosts surrounds her, all shimmering as the light gets brighter. “…honor of StarClan?”

Greypaw’s senses are filled with those voices of the past. They’re rising in volume, in pitch, in intensity. They’re screaming, yowling, braying. She has no choice, so she touches the stone blindly and yowls, “For the honor of StarClan!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so ends episode 1!
> 
> I don't know how long the next chapter will take, but it's going to continue with episode 2. Following the same plot as the show, although we'll see how much I'll have to change within the episode with the village festival and Swift Wind and stuff like that.
> 
> Let me know what you guys thought!
> 
> If people really like this enough, I might try to do more episodes. Although as I go further into the episodes, there's definitely more I need to change. I really want to introduce Razz and Mara, but I don't know if I'll even get to them.

**Author's Note:**

> Warriors was a series I was obsessed with back in middle school. I haven't read it in a while but the art in the link inspired me to write it. So now everyone gets to be a cat, not just Catra.
> 
> The name of the fic is She-Ra's name in the Warriors world
> 
> This fic will follow the first and second episode and I'll see if I want to write more after I'm done. I hope you guys like it enough to review and let me know what you thought.
> 
> Thank you to @artofkace (Twitter/Tumblr) for letting me jump off of their designs and use it to inspire this fic. You can find that particular piece here: https://twitter.com/artofkace/status/1269044269186191365


End file.
